The ''Lion of Belfort'' (french: Le lion de Belfort) is a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

at Dorchester Square in

Downtown Montreal Downtown Montreal (French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the borough of Ville ...

Description and history

The ''Lion of Belfort'' is a reclining British Imperial Lion, facing east towards

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The Lion appears reposed, calm and alert—indicating that the city is safe. The lion was sculpted by

George William Hill George William Hill (March 3, 1838 – April 16, 1914) was an American astronomer and mathematician. Working independently and largely in isolation from the wider scientific community, he made major contributions to celestial mechanics and t ...

. As noted on the monument's base, Hill was inspired by the '' Lion of Belfort'', a monumental statue by Frédéric Bartholdi in

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...

, France. The statue's granite base was designed by Scottish-born Montreal architect

Robert Findlay Robert Findlay (1859–1951) was a Scottish-born Canadian architect. He was born in Inverness, Scotland, and moved to Montreal in 1885. He won the competition to expand the first Sun Life Building and was the architect for that project, which ...

. Inaugurated on May 24, 1897, ''The Lion'' is placed at the eastern side along Metcalfe and formed the eastern point in the cross. It was initially part of a fountain established for

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

's Diamond Jubilee by the Sun Life Assurance Company prior to the development of the Sun Life Building.

References

External links

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''Lion de Belfort''
1897 in Canada 1897 sculptures Buildings and structures completed in 1897 Dorchester Square Granite sculptures in Canada Monuments and memorials in Montreal Outdoor sculptures in Montreal Robert Findlay buildings Royal monuments in Canada Sculptures of lions {{Canada-sculpture-stub